1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a roller skate, especially an in-line roller skate, constituted by a frame including an upper plate on which the sole of a boot is adapted to be fixed and including a longitudinal lower portion on which the rollers or wheels are arranged.
2. Background and Material Information
This type of skate can be adapted to the training of skaters on ice outside of a skating rink, but also for any athletes eager to maintain or perfect on tarred, hard ground, cement floor, etc., the techniques used in gliding sports such as trail skiing, cross country skiing, ice skating, etc.
The practice of such sports has naturally evolved into the search for artistic or acrobatic ballet type maneuvers performed during skating. Thus, skates are known whose lower wheel line describes a convex arc of a circle which thus enables the skates to only bear on the central wheels. The drawback in such skates is that this arrangement is permanent and not always desired. That is the case of the skate described in the U.S. Pat. No. 938,168 which further includes means for adjusting its size to adapt it to a given boot.
The Applicant has already remedied this drawback in non-published French Patent Application No. 95.13709 which describes a device for controlling the height of the wheels, making it possible to act as required on the alignment of the wheels of the skate as a function of the desired skating effects.
In fact, one has sought to obtain a so-called "rocker" or "pivoting" position for the skate when the lower plane of the wheels forms an arc of a circle, and "anti-rocker" when the lower plane thereof is on a straight line, for a "non-pivoting" position.
In the aforementioned application, this has been obtained with the arrangement of a skate frame made in two portions connected to one another and journalled with respect to one another via a deformable zone. Means have also been provided so that this deformation is, or is not, permanent.
There is no particular criticism on such an embodiment providing the desired advantages.
It is also known to have a wheel height adjustment with respect to the frame by means of eccentric washers arranged on the journal axles of the wheels. However, such a simple and relatively inexpensive construction has the disadvantages of requiring additional parts and handling, and of generating risks of off-centering for the wheel axles if the washers of a same axle are not positioned in the common way.